Helping families get through troubled times, improve citizenship

Editor's note: The Giving Spirit has been an annual feature in The Record during the holiday season for almost two decades.

Editor's note: The Giving Spirit has been an annual feature in The Record during the holiday season for almost two decades.

The stories focus on local nonprofit groups and other agencies that help those in need in our community. Over the years, the series has taken on several forms.

This year, we asked nonprofit leaders to tell the story of their agency's work in their own words.

Contact: (209) 955-0701

Website: friendsoutside.org

History: Friends Outside was founded by a Quaker woman named Rosemary Goodenough in 1955. She was a tireless advocate for social justice and equality, particularly on behalf of incarcerated people and their families. She recognized that incarceration has a tremendous effect on the wellbeing of children and on the overall family dynamic. Since then, our work has been based upon values of equality, advocacy and hope. For more than 50 years, we've been working with incarcerated individuals and their families to promote change in their lives and in our communities.

Friends Outside understands the need for family visits and support so we provide Visitor Centers at each California prison that are run by welcoming, understanding and warm staff. They provide clothing, snacks and community resources that assist in facilitating a smoother visiting process with their loved ones. Inside each institution, Family Liaison Specialists provide evidence based programs that assist the incarcerated individuals with becoming better parents and they also teach conflict resolution skills to help them become better citizens. These Family Liaison Specialists provide case management, prerelease planning and support groups to help them identify, before release, what

Mission: Our mission is to improve the quality of life of all those impacted by incarceration, including families and children, and to assist with the successful community reentry and family reunification for those transitioning from confinement to freedom. Friends Outside promotes equality and justice for underserved populations and brings awareness to issues related to children of incarcerated parents. Children who grow up with an incarcerated parent face adversity and stigmas that are damaging and unjust. These families need support and an ally in the community that they can go to in times of need. Friends Outside provides a place of understanding and diligently works to instill hope in families affected by incarceration. Friends Outside believes that community members are an essential part of the reentry process and that we must work together to ensure that the cycle of violence and crime is not repeated with future generations.

Friends Outside believes there is strength in diversity and appreciates all individuals for their differences in characteristics, styles, backgrounds, motivations, values and aspirations.

Friends Outside provides a comprehensive network of collaboration in the community. We recognize that that the reentry process starts before a person is incarcerated and lasts well after their release.